2- Three is a Crowd

Nadia was livid, putting some distance between the two of them hadn't worked at all. Her hands shook as she tried to even her breaths, fumbling with the tap.

Her back was to him, watching the crimson droplets trickle down into the sink as jets of water began to sprout out of the tap. She watched as the last evidence of the blood wash off her hands before she spun around and discarded the blood soaked wool into the dumpster.

She picked up a spatula to check the sauce brewing on the stove, not meeting his gaze. "Will she be joining us?" she questioned, stirring the sauce.

"No," he shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "She's busy."

"Of course." A smile lit up her face but it was quick to die down when she remembered that she was still angry at him. Saturday night dinner was their thing, even though Khaleed was dating Benazir, she still couldn't envision her in their dinner. It was a family thing, just the three of them and she didn't want Benazir's presence to taint it.

It was hard for her to accept that she now had to share him with her. It was a little bit of a reprieve to know that Benazir didn't share their love for the Saturday dinners, she always had an excuse for every week since the first disastrous dinner they had together.

"Are we going to talk about this?" he questioned, wincing as he pressed the bag of frozen peas onto his swollen face.

"Talk about what?" she shrugged, dropped the spatula then spun around to face him, her face a mask of indifference.

From the way he squirmed in his seat, one could easily believe that he was the younger brother getting reprimanded for being a nuisance but alas, that was not the case. He was four years older than she was but sometimes, he let her get away with scolding him like she was the eldest because he needed someone to do it for him and he knew that she needed to vent sometimes. Nadia was a caretaker, taking up the role of being a somewhat motherly figure to both him and Noor even though he should have been the one taking care of them.

"You know what," he sighed in exasperation, glaring at his vibrating phone as if it had offended him.

"No I don't know what," she narrowed her eyes at the name flashing on the screen of his phone. "You should take that," she pointed at the phone which began to vibrate again as soon as the screen had blacked out. "It seems important."

"Nad..." he began but she cut him off, smiling brazenly.

"It's okay," she waved him off. "Really," she added when he gave her a disbelieving look. "You did it again even though you promised me time and again that you wouldn't. But hey," she laughed bitterly. "How important am I to you that you'll have to keep your promises right?"

"Blood," he kept the pea bag on the counter then strode towards her, shaking his head with a pained expression. "Never say or think that again okay? You are important to me more than you can imagine. Everything that I do is for the sake of both you and Noor. After what he did to her," he shook his head again, cupping her chin with his palms. "I can't just let it go. But this time around, I promise you that I'll let it go. I won't get into or pick up fights with him anymore."

"You promise?" her eyes glazed over with unshed tears.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I promise."

"Aww," Noor cooed from behind, shoving a spoonful of chocolate ice cream into her mouth. "You two are so adorable."

"Get lost," Nadia sniffed, putting some distance between her and Khaleed.

"What happened to you?" Noor's eyes widened with alarm as her gaze fell on Khaleed's swollen face.

"Nothing," he responded, hiding his hand behind his back.

"Khaleed Al'amir Muhammad Hafiz Belko I demand that you tell me what happened right now," she stalked towards him, keeping her ice cream tub on the island.

"I..."

"He cut his hand dicing the chicken," Nadia interjected, pleading with her eyes that he follow through with her lie. She knew that Khaleed was going to tell Noor the truth but she couldn't risk her finding out, it wouldn't end well for either of them.

"Oh yeah," he nodded, offering her a smile. "And then I slipped because the water was running, Nadia being a dummy had forgotten to turn off the tap."

"Hmm," she nodded, wanting to say something but decided not to as she picked her ice cream tub. "But if it was something else you would tell me right?"

"Of course," they affirmed together, crossing their fingers behind their backs in silent plea. "We would."

"Okay," she nodded again then spun around and left the kitchen. Their story didn't add up but she had no time to dwell on it. Strange things happen when the two were alone so she half believed what was said. What reason would they have to lie to her anyway?

"That was close," Nadia muttered under her breath, turning the stove off.

"Yeah, it was."

He stalked out of the kitchen to answer his phone which had begun to vibrate nonstop again, leaving Nadia with her thoughts.

As she dished out their dinner, her mind went back to the event that had changed their lives. She wondered if there would ever be a time when the three of them would be able to breath normally again without fearing about the consequences of doing so. Maybe someday, she thought as she sat down together with them, watching TV and eating the food they had prepared.

Maybe it wasn't impossible for things to go back to normal, she thought as she threw her head back and laughed hard about something Khaleed had said. It wasn't a forever thing, things would go back to normal in shaa Allah.

{••}

Khaleed Belko was a spitting image of his father, Al'amir Belko. Right from the curly Fulani hair, the upturned nose and the serious expression that never slipped from his face except for his eyes which he got from his mother. He was as ruthless and cunning when it came to business but a big softie to the women in his and that was the major difference between the two Belko men; family always came first.

He was used to getting everything he wanted, be it in the board room or at home, he was able to sweet talk himself out of any situation he found himself in.

That's why as he sat back in his chair and stare at the faces of the board members, he couldn't help but wonder if he had made a mistake, being overly confident in himself.

He had no idea why they wouldn't agree with his proposal, it was decent and with the decrease in the exchange rate of the dollar, he was sure it would bring Belko Enterprises so much profit they wouldn't be able to count their millions.

His face was relaxed, a crying contrast to what was brewing in his heart. He needed their approval so he couldn't mess up the meeting.

"It has potential," One of the board members Mr. Ahmad said, regarding Khaleed with uncertainty. "But it is too risky, we can lose our customers if it doesn't go well. I'm sorry boy but it's a no from me also."

Khaleed's heart had soared when Mr. Ahmad began talking but his elation soon deflated when he finished his statement. The older man had been one of his greatest supporters ever since he joined the boardroom of BE. Even though majority of the members had voted on casting him out, the man had stood by his side and slowly, the others had seen what he too had seen in the young Belko.

Now, Khaleed wasn't as sure as he stared at the man wide eyed, wishing he hadn't heard correctly. Was the universe turning against him? How could his greatest supporter turn him down on the most important project he had worked on since he began working at BE?

"I understand," he nodded, picked up his iPad and walked out of the boardroom, head held up high as his PA scamper behind him, muttering profanities under her breath as she tried to keep up with his long strides.

If it were any other day, he would have slowed down and allowed the short woman catch up with him but today, he wasn't feeling so generous after being turned down by a bunch of old men in suits, thinking they knew better when all they were worried about was losing a couple of millions that wouldn't make a difference in their bank accounts.

"Sir," she called out from behind, still struggling to catch with him.

He kept mum and continued walking towards his office which was on the other side of the building, annoyed at how much time it was going to take before he got there. He needed a breather and the short woman wasn't helping matters, she was getting on his nerves.

{••}

"Hard day at the office today?" Noor asked from behind the sofa, whirling around to face her brother who had just arrived.

"You can say that," he sighed, taking off his shoes by the door before advancing into the apartment.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she questioned, crossing her legs underneath her as she placed her head on her palms, waiting for his response.

"They didn't approve the proposal," he muttered, scrubbing his hand over his face.

"Why?"

"They said it was too risky or something. I honestly have no idea why they didn't approve it."

"Don't worry Bobbo," she placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling comfortingly at him. "You'll get another chance, you bring awesome deals to the table at BE, everyone knows that. They'll approve your next proposal in shaa Allah and if they don't, to hell with them. You can always quit and we can open up a restaurant. You can cook while I do the food tasting."

"You'd love that now, wouldn't you?" he chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Duh," she winked, shuffling to her feet.

"I have to go now but seriously though, you can always quit BE and start somewhere else. You don't have to work there, build your own legacy somewhere else, it doesn't have to be BE. They don't appreciate you as much as they should, you're better off working somewhere else where you get recognized for the amazing things that you can offer."

"You know I can't," he shook his head. "He needs me there."

"He can fend for himself Bobbo. You don't have to live in his shadow anymore, you can make a name for yourself. He doesn't even appreciate the sacrifices you make for him," she carefully pointed out, strapping her feet into her sandals. "Al'amir Belko cares only about himself."

"You know that he loves you Noor," he shook his head, crossing his hands over his chest. "Stop being so stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn Bobbo, it's just the way it is and you refuse to see it."

"Let's just drop it okay? I don't want to fight."

"Me neither," she shrugged, placing her hand on the doorknob.

"Are you going home?" he questioned, finally realising that she was about to leave.

"I'm staying at Nadia's tonight," she replied, her gaze set on the door.

"Noor..."

"I'll return there eventually," she cut him off, opening the door. "I'm just not ready to face either of them now."

"Alright. Just take care of yourself and watch out for..."

"I will," she cut him off again, stepping out of the door. "Don't worry."

He watched her skip over to the other Belko estate, wondering if she would ever be normal again, if she would ever accept what had happened and forgive their father. It was wishful thinking, but he wouldn't lose hope. Both father and daughter were too stubborn for their own good.

**

In shaa Allah= if Allah wills